Carbon recycling from discarded batteries using an environmentally friendly method and its application in the removal of pollutants from water

Abstract

– In this study, phenol adsorption was investigated using activated carbon obtained from discarded batteries’ carbon. Activation of the carbon was provided in the subcritical water medium. The surface properties of the activated carbon from waste batteries improved significantly after subcritical-water treatment. The phenol adsorption experiments were designed according to the response surface method (RSM) Box-Behnken surface statistical model. The model was created at three levels for the variables temperature (20-40 °C), adsorbent mass(10-50 mg), and phenol concentration (10-100 mg/L). The response of the model was the amount of phenol (%) removed from the water. The experimental data fit the quadratic polynomial model well, according to regression analysis, with a coefficient of determination (R2 ) value of 0.9945 and a model-F value of 141.52. The highest phenol removal (%) was achieved at 30 °C, 50 mg adsorbent mass and 100 mg/L initial phenol concentration. According to the model, the most effective variable was the adsorbent mass.